FROM THE FULDA GAP TO KUWAIT: U.S. ARMY, EUROPE, AND THE GULF WAR

Stephen P. Gehring

From the Fulda Gap to Kuwait describes how the United States Army, Europe, under the command of General Crosbie E. Saint, supported the coalition's armed response to the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. With the changed threat environment of the post-Cold War period as a backdrop, Stephen P. Gehring credits effective planning and preparations in the late 1980s for USAREUR's successful transition in 1990 from a basically static heavy force focused on the defense of Europe to a smaller mobile heavy force capable of deploying rapidly for contingency operations anywhere in the European Command's area of responsibility. This initiative, according to Gehring, had irrevocably launched USAREUR on a new phase in its history. He examines in depth how USAREUR planned, assembled, prepared, and deployed its personnel, equipment, and war reserves to the Persian Gulf to stop and reverse Iraqi aggression, providing the decisive armored units and firepower that proved so critical to the success of coalition operations in Southwest Asia. He also covers contingency and logistical planning, the programs to support the residual community in Europe, and the subsequent redeployment and force reduction. His study of the versatility, deployability, and lethality of USAREUR forces underscores the value of a trained and ready Army, and those now involved in planning and executing Army Transformation will learn much from this remarkable story.